"My Favorite Bag"

My friend, June made this in cool mint green and my cousin Martha made it in soft pink and milk chocolate for a diaper bag for her daughter. I wanted it for a "shop hop' bag. the bag has 12 pockets and has a nice roomy interior. I had fun with the grommets. I had never done them before but, you know what, they are easy. This bag is roomy and soft. The girl at the local quilt shop said that she would use it as a carry one bag. I might try that.

Cindy's Cat Bag

This bag was made as a "hostess gift" again. It was made using a Laurel Burch panel and then adding strips of color to accomplish the size need for the panels. The colors are bright but the black ground it well. I hope that she likes it.

Pineapple Chunks

Table topper in our home.

Chris's Log Cabin

Tina's Log Cabin

Log Cabin for Cindy (Hostess Gift)

When you go to visit friends and stay for a day or two, it is a bit old fashioned but it is customary to bring a "hostess gift. The table topper or lab robe size quilt was given in manner to a dear friend. I made one for each of my nieces as well.

Absolute Mine Shaft

Table topper sized or lap robe. This one was given as a gift as well.

Tulip Bag

The inside of this is far brighter than the outside. I still have this one.

Garden Party

This pattern was one that I picked up on a "shop hop" and made for a young couple that I knew getting married here in Manchester. It was my first bed sized quilt. It turned out to a full/queen size.

Tropical Sunrise

This set was designed by me and made for some friends kids who were getting married on the beach in Florida. There are 4 place mats and napkins in the set.

Rail Fence

Every quilter has got to start somewhere. This was the project for my 1st class. The pattern is Rail Fence and it is my mother's now.

LeMoyne Star Band Of Stars Table Runner

This one I have yet to quilt. I started out to see if I could make a LeMoyne Star using 1/2 square triangles and no dreaded "y" seams. The LeMoyne star is the larger stars in the table runner. The runner design is my own. I thin that I will make this pattern again and again. I really like it.

Third Times A Charm

I purchased a kit at a "shop hop" because I liked the pattern though I am not a fan of 30's repro fabric patterns. I made it up and Summer Mae now has a changing pad. What I saw the pattern as was in Christmas fabric. SO................................ that is what you see in the red and green version.

Disappearing Nine Patch

Most of my quilts I have given away as gifts. This one I kept. It is the Disappearing Nine Patch partten and then I took liberties with the borders. The Flying Geese just part of the way around each side, I think, is better than if I had added it all the way. It is Moda's fabric collection "Warm Memories" so is kind of holiday colors and when I took it to "long arm" we programmed in a lose holly berry pattern. I really like it.

Baby Quilt for Summer Mae Martin

Summer Mae Martin is my newest cousin (grand-daughter of my first cousin, Martha). This was a Muzzy Mouse panel that I cut apart and then assembled with sashing and what they call a "wonky border". I also put together a cuddle strip quilt, two receiving blankets with burp cloths for her. She is a late life baby coming when the parents really thought that they were finished with all of this. The oldest is a freshman in college and the now middle child is 14. This wee one should be spoiled rotten.

Mom Wanted Something For Her Table

The pattern was a free download from the internet called Stars for Josie. Mom wanted it made from just scrap fabric, nothing fancy she said. Well, Mom used to sew all the time. I mean growing up my sister and I we clothed at my mother's hand until we were old enough to sew for ourselves. After we were grown and gone she continued to make clothes for grand daughters and doing count cross stitch and just loads of other pillow top and what ever. Mom trembles, not Parkins, it is associated with purposeful movement. Her head bobs and well she can't sew any more. She gave me her scrap and her stash and that is what I made this out of. I added a bit of stuff from my own stash but it is mostly hers. I don't think that she has had anything else on her table since I gave it to her a couple of years ago.

I go and stay with Mom when our sewing group gets together once a month. She love to have the sound of the machine running in her house again. She is closer to 90 than she is to 80 so she likes her memories of what she used to do and she can watch me do it now.

Hostess Gift For A Friend

Laurel Burch is amazing for these knock your socks off bright designs. I love color, all color from it's softest to the screaming brights. When our group go to a quilt show or on "Shop Hops" I tend to pickup thing just because I like what i am looking at. I don't even have to have a plan in mind at the time. This was the case with this Laurel Burch panel that I have had for over a year. We are planning a trip in a few weeks that will take us into the Chicago area on our way to Charleston, SC. I try to bring my friend a hostess gift when we go there. She and her husband always want us to stay a few days when we are flying out of Chicago so it is appropriate that I bring her a hostess gift. (Old fashioned, I know but it is a nice thing to do.)

I purchased the panel and none of the other fabrics in the collection that went with it so Jean at the local quilt shop here and I had a great time finding fabrics that would pick up the colors in the panels. Using a pattern that called for fussy cuts that were quite a bit larger than what my panel offered, I had to build each one out to make it fit. Start to finish,including all of the work on the build outs this took 2 days. I think it is cute and I hope that she likes it.

Pumpkin Logcabin Table Runner Thanksgiving 2011

This is the third table runner that I made for the Gates Cousin Thanksgiving 2011. After I got it pieces I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do for the quilting. I drew a leafy vine and then traced it and used that on each pumpkin and then stippled the white areas. The fabric was from a kit that I purchase and didn't like the pattern in the package but had an idea for the colors. I think it turned out pretty well.

Table Runners For The Gates Cousin's Thanksgiving 2011

I made three table runners for the tables at Thanksgiving in 2011. The red shows the back side of the small French Braid (almost as pretty as the top, don't you think. There other on in this group is of one called the Big Easy.

Cardinal's Christmas

This was a kit that I picked up at a local shop. I tried out on of the paper quilting pattern strips for the borders and it turned out pretty good. The quilt was donated to the RMC gift shop for sale. The fund, what ever they got, would be put into the Aux. Chapter fund box. I never have asked if it sold.

2011 Quilting Cougar Challenge still unquilted

Each year the ladies that I quilt with, The Quilting Cougars" have a challenge that must be at least pieced before the next quilt show. This one was a toughy. Fons and Portor had this on one of their disks. You take 5 fabrics each 1/2 yard each. Cut each one into 4" strips. One strip of each fabric is then cut as follows. 1 strip in 1/4 square, 1 strip in 1/2 square, 1 strip in 4" squares and the last strip of each fabric is used for what ever you need it to be used for. The assembly is up to you. This is not as easy as it might sound. This was a second attempt and it isn't perfect.

French Braid Table Runner

This is a French Braid table runner that I made for part of shower gift for my bosses son and his new wife. Katie was happy!!!

Day Dreamer Quilt

This is my guest room. The quilt on the bed is my Day Dreamer. The large flower blooms are the artwork of Stephanie Brandenburg as is the color wash used in the drops. The final border is a random width piano keys made from the left over fabric from the project. It was custom quilted on Penny Roberts' Gammell w/Statler Stitcher. The blooms were thread painted for texture by me using free motion on the same machine.

Family Honors Quilt

This is family honors quilt made from a Debbie Mumm pattern. I added the names for family members, rank, branch of service and years of service with my cousin, Martha's help. Dad is the center star and the top left is Victor, Trish, Charlie and finally Charlies wife Rena is in the lower right hand corner. I have this to my mom for her birthday in July of 2011. I hangs in her guest room.

Day Lilies

This one is a table topper or wall hanging. Made from a kit purchased at Fern Hill Quilt and Gifts in South Amana. It is a Stephanie Brandenburg art work in the center. This was given to Mary Franken just because. I quilted the major lilies with some thread painting and them the borders were done in diagonal 1" rays from the center.

Cheating At Cards

I picked up the "layer cake" in Missouri when we went to see Liz the first. Buddy kind of thought that it was his to lay upon. The quilt was finished and given to Marj Wilson as a get well gift. It measured out at a twin size.